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Glen Petty Jr. was fifth in the season points, and he led the 800cc machines to the line. Petty came off the line hard, but his bike began to miss between the second jump and the top of the ISO-foot hill, stopping the lights with a 3.407-second time. "A mag wire came loose and my bike cut out on the top end," Petty explained. He would repair his XR750 for round two. Rod Williams got his front end too high on his first attempt and would have to settle for a 3AlO-second run, good for eighth overall. Harley-Davidson Racing Pro HilIclimb rider Dent is second to teammate Gerencer in the points, and Dent was hoping to continue his hot streak after winning last weekend. Dent got way too uch air and got crossed in the air. He landed crossed up, but he held on to make it up the hill with a time of 3.324. Dent aggravated a back injury and would not be able to make his second ride. Dent would finish sixth overall. Pro USA Hillclimb Team captain Tom Reiser put in his best performance on the Goshen hill since his 1993 championship season. Reiser got his F&S/KK Motorcycle-backed Harley-Davidson up over the top of the hill in 3.299 seconds to take over the lead. Russell VanderVeen put in a solid ride for a 3.619, the fifth-fastest time of round one. After Tim Frazier failed to crack the top five, Price came to the line. Price has been the biggest surprise of the season as he continues to improve in only his first year in the 800cc class. A terrible day in difficult conditions last weekend dropped him from second to fourth in the points race, and Price was hoping to get back on track in Indiana. His first run saw him go on the 10-minute clock. If a rider isn't in the pit when he is called, he has 10 minutes to get ready to run. "We were trying to get the bike to run," Price said. "We had to work on it up until we put in on the line." Just 3.19 seconds later, all of Price's work paid off. The Miller Logging-sponsored rider put together an outstanding ride, setting fast time for the other 800cc riders to shoot for. The crowd was intent on the hometown hero, Gerencer, as he brought his thundering Harley-Davidson to the line. Gerencer came off the line a little con· serva tively - as he is still recovering from his Freemansburg crash - and he stopped the clock with a time of 3.240 seconds. "I don't think I had the throttle all the way open when I left the line," Gerencer explained. Wallace Fowler had a hard fall on his fuel-injected GSXR Suzuki, while fo~er National champion Randy Gabriel picked up a time of 3.545 on his first ride. Petty got his bike problems fixed and • he continued his string of success at Middlebury. Petty never backed off the throttle as he flew up the hill for a time of 3.255 to move him up to fourth over- all. He paid the price, though, as he crashed over the top. "I went off the back side on my back wheel and the bike flipped end over end," Petty said. Williams' second ride nearly turned into a crash, and he had to settle for his first-run time. After Dent was unable to ride, Reiser came to the line. Reiser had changed his suspension settings and he was able to go faster - a 3.290 versus a 3.299 - but he didn't see the improvement he had hoped for. "We changed the damping to try and keep the bike from sprm.ging up so high over the jump," Reiser said. "It didn't help much on the jump and it landed real hard, so I guess we can't do it all with suspension." Still, fifth overall helps Reiser hang on to third place in the points standings. Reiser's teammate Bob Castledine was gunning for the podium on his second chance at the hill, and he nailed an excellent ride. "I knew if I could set it down straight, I would have a good shot at the top five, and it all worked out for me," Castledine said. As the 800cc class put in its second rides, Gerencer chose not to take his encore. ''1' m still hurting from Freemansburg," he explained. "I got a good time on my first ride, ~ I'll take second and go to York." Gerencer can clinch his third ational Chanipionship with an eighth-place finish at either of the last two nationals. Price won his first Pro national, and he received congratulations from fans and riders the rest of the day. ''rve been right there in a couple of races where I had a really good first ride, and then 1'd loop out or something on my second ride," Price said. "Winning feels pretty good." 0 Goshen Iron Hoc semen Motorcycle Club Middlebury, Ind. . Results: September 15,1996 (ROI!nd 8 of 11) 540: 1. Paul Pinsonnault (Hon); 2. Scott McNeely (Hon); 3. Michael Pulver (Hon); 4. Terry Thompson (BSA); 5. M;choel Templeton (Hon~ 6. Michael DeBusk (BSA~ 7. Walter Hetrick (Suz); 8. Jeff Thomas (Yam); 9. D.vid Watson (Hon); 10. Ted Wi1ldns (Rtx); 11. Ralph Kreeger (Tri); 12 Paul Garmy (Kaw~ 13. Randy Dmon (Hon); 14. Robert Schreiner (BSA). goo, 1. Willie Price (H-D); 2. Lou Gerencer (H-D); 3. Robert C.stledine (H-D); 4. Glen Petty Jr. (H-D); 5. Tom Reiser (H-D); 6. Mickey Dent (H-D); 7. Russell VanderVeen (H·O); 8. Rod Williams (H·O); 9. Wallace Fowler (Suz); 10. Randy Gabriel (H-D); 11. Robert Templeton (Kaw); 12. jason Petty (Tn): 13. Tim Frazier (BSA); 14. Tommy Wells (Tri). AMA s40cc NATIONAL HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSIUP SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 8 of 10 rounds): 1. Paul Pinsonnault (109/3 wins); 2. David Watson (99/2); 3. Scott Mc eely (93/1); 4. Mkhael DeBusk (79); 5. Mike Pulver (78/1); 6. Ted Wilkins (73); 7. Paul Lowe (59/1); 8. Terry Thompson (SO); 9. Michael Templeton (41); 10. Ralph Kreeger (36); 11. James Zucco (35); U. Roger Mc eely (28); 13. John H.milton (27); 14. Robert Shreiner (26); IS. Jeff Thomas (20). AMA 800cc NATIONAL Hl1.LCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 8 of 10 round.): 1. Lou Cerencer (109/4 wins); 2. Mickey Dent (87/1); 3. Tom Reiser (83/1); 4. William Price (78/1); 5. Glendal Petty (73/1~ 6. Jason Petty (60); 7. (TIE) Steve Dresser I Robert Castledine (55); 9. Randy Cabriel (52); 10. Tim Frazier (SO); 11. Rodney Smith (40); 12. Harry Schreiber (38); 13. Wallace Fowler (35); 14.. Robert Templeton (34); 15. Russe.1l VanderVeen (32). Upcoming Round: Round 9 - Jefferson, PA, September 29 Round 10 - Oregonia, OH, OCtober 13